Deja Vu
by DatJaden
Summary: Again,Yugi and the gang find themselves trying to defend against a villain trying to steal the Millennium items.Only this time they're in more danger than they realized.Lord Voldemort had decided that he wants the power of the Shadow Games for his own.
1. Here we go again

The dim light filtering into the window fell upon the face of the old man like a mask, making the expression upon his face look even graver than it was. His blue eyes gazed upon the man standing in front of him but did not actually see the man. He was deep into contemplation about the information the younger man had just given him.

"What exactly do you mean by 'ancient power' Severus?" Dumbledore asked slowly, his mind racing trying to figure out what type of power the Dark Lord was after. How could it be worse than the power he already held. How could any form of magic be any darker or more dangerous that what Voldemort had gained in the years since he'd left Hogwarts?

Snape shifted uncomfortably under Dumbledore's gaze, wringing his hands slightly before speaking. What he'd been told about the dark magic that the Dark Lord desired made him uncomfortable and anxious.

"The power that he is seeking has deep roots in the darkest history of Ancient Egypt." Snape said, his tone stiff and uncomfortable.

Dumbledore frowned, slipping into his thoughts once more. The Egyptians magic had been darker than any other magic in the world. He'd read of the horrors that had gone on in that land during the times of the Shadow Games. He hadn't thought any of that magic had survived though. He'd been most certain that the magic had been sealed away by the Pharaoh.

"So he's trying to gain the power of the Shadow Games." Dumbledore muttered, his lips tugging down in a frown. In front of him Snape jumped slightly at the name.

"H..How did you know that was what they were called?" He asked, his brow's furrowing slightly. Dumbledore didn't answer him but merely shook his head.

"That is not important at the moment. How he is planned to get the powers? They were sealed away over five thousand years ago."

Snape pulled a picture from out of the pocket of his robes and laid it before Dumbledore with an air of reluctance. Dumbledore stared at him for a moment before lowering his blue eyes to the picture. On the cover stood four people, all staring at the camera with little interest as if wishing for the picture to be taken quickly so they could get away quickly. Even though the boy standing in fronts hair looked as if he'd used two gallons of hair gel to keep it sticking straight into the air Dumbledore's eyes were pulled to the gold item hanging from a chain around his neck. A jolt of realization shot down his spin as his eyes found one more golden item held by someone within the picture.

"The Millennium items..." he murmured quietly, his eyes flickering upward to the tittle above the four people. He retrieved his wand from where he had placed it on the desk and tapped the letters gently to translate them. He may be able to speak Japanese but by no stretch of the mind could he read it. His brows raised slightly as he read the words silently. His lips pulled down as he realized that the tittle held the names of the people below the tittle. He didn't know what this Battle City Tournament was but he knew that the finalists of it, at least the two of them with the items, were in grave danger. Because of this picture, that had apparently found it's way into Voldemort's hands, the two with the items were going to have to fight off the Death Eaters.

He lifted his eyes to study Snape for a moment, noting the faint green tinge he seemed to have taken on. Dumbledore knew why it was there. Voldemort was going to strike quickly and without mercy on the three in the picture before they even knew what had hit them. He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his traveling cloak. They had to get to the three of them before Voldemort had the chance.

"Where are you going?" Snape asked, his eyes following Dumbledore's movements.

"We need to get to headquarters and get some people to come with us. Then we have to go get those three under our protection quickly." Dumbledore said briskly, motioning for Snape to follow him.

"We can only hope to them before he does."

* * *

Yugi could see the look on Joey's face and felt a stab of exasperation. He knew that Joey didn't have distinct reason to trust Marik but this was a little much. Shouldn't the fact that Yugi had forgiven him enough to change the blonds mind?

"Joey! Please be nice. He said he needs our help." Yugi said, his voice leaning toward the whining side of the spectrum. He tried to make his face as pathetic and pleading as possible, anything to get the blond to go along with this.

"I don't know Yug, how do you know if we can really trust him?" Joey said, his expression faltering a bit.

"Because, if we can't trust him then we can't trust Ryou either." Yugi said, wondering slightly if logic would work on the blond.

"Fine, but I'm keeping an eye on him." Joey muttered, glaring at the door of the game shop. Yugi sighed internally, that was the most he was going to get out of the blond. Joey could be so stubborn about things like this.

"Just don't be too mean, please." Yugi asked, rubbing his face in a weary fashion. The only answer he got was a snort from the blond.

Marik had contacted Yugi two days ago saying that he needed to speak to him immediately. Something about the items and the tombs. It gave him a feeling of dread he thought about it. He had a feeling that something big was about to happen, whether he was ready or not. It had only been a few weeks since Battle City and he'd hoped that everything had gone back to normal.

**With us nothing is ever normal.**

Yugi glanced to the side to see the Pharaoh's spirit form siting next to him behind the counter of the game shop. He had to agree. Ever since he'd solved the puzzle and met the Pharaoh nothing had been the same. First Pegasus tried to steal it from him, then the spirit of the ring, then Marik and his Yami. With them things just went from weird to weirder. If he never saw the shadow realm again in his life it would be too soon.

His attention was pulled from his thoughts as the door of the game shop opened to reveal Ryou. Yugi brightened slightly at the sight of his friend. He felt a little bad for the boy, he'd drawn the short stick when he'd been given the Millennium Ring. The poor boy had to deal with the murderous spirit that resided within it.

"Hey Ryou, what's up?" Yugi asked happily, waving slightly to the other boy.

"Marik called and said that he needed to talk to me, that it involved the items. Said to come here." Ryou said, sounding slightly nervous and Yugi couldn't blame him. The last time he'd had any real contact with Marik[or his Yami for that matter] he'd been sent to the shadow realm for a while.

"He told me the same thing. He should be here any minute now." Yugi said with a slight frown. It had to be serious if Marik had called Ryou into this. Yugi let himself slip into his thoughts once more as Ryou turned to talk to Joey.

"_What do you think Marik wants to talk about Yami?"_ Yugi asked, wondering if the Pharaoh would have some sort of thoughts on the matter.

Yugi glanced over at his friend out of the corner of his eyes. The Pharaoh looked as if he was deep in thought himself. He looked slightly worried and it made the feeling of dread in Yugi's stomach grow. If the great Pharaoh was worried about something then it had to be serious.

"**I don't know Yugi but I have a feeling that what ever it is we will be able to handle it."** Yami said after another few moments, giving a reassuring smile to the younger boy. Yugi smiled back hesitantly and glanced back toward Joey and Ryou, whom were comparing decks and talking strategy for some new tournament that was coming up.

"**Are you going to enter, Yugi?" **Yami asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.

Yugi shook his head slightly. He had no intention of entering any tournaments any time soon. The only people he would be dueling for the next few months would be Joey and, maybe if he didn't annoy him too much, Kaiba.

"_Nope, I've had enough tournaments for a while between Duelist Kingdom and Battle City." _Yugi responded with a mental chuckle. Yami nodded before their eyes were pulled to the door once more as Marik rushed inside, closing the door quickly behind him.

He looked as if he'd run the whole way to the shop. His hair was out of place and he gasped for raggedly breath as he leaned against the door. Yugi slid from his seat to rush toward the other male as did Ryou and Joey.

"Marik, what's wrong?!" Yugi asked the blond as he approached.

"I don't know if I was followed so we're going to have to be quick about this." Marik stared as he fought to catch his breath. "Someone's after the items and they know we have them." He said, grabbing onto Yugi's shoulder for support.

* * *

SE: Okay this is /another/ pet project of mine that I've wanted to write forever! It took me a while to get around to writing it because I wanted to read most of the Manga and such. I, unfortunately, only got through the first series then found out that the website I was reading it on didn't have most of Yu-gi-oh:Duelist uploaded. ;___; I decided that I'd start writing it and hope that my knowledge from the Anime would be enough to get me though most of this....

Bakura: So....you're going to wing it? That sounds like /such/ a good idea!

SE: -squirts with spray bottle- What did I tell you about the sarcasm Kitty?

Bakura: Just get on with the next chapter.

SE: I'm not done with it yet! I still have half of it to write along with most of the third chapter for the Naruto/Yu-gi-oh crossover.....Anway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter when it's finished. I'll most likely have it posted tomorrow night. I'm currently on Mardi Gras break so I have time to write.

Bakura: You get a week off of school to part and get things thrown at you by drunk people?

SE: Yep, that's why I love living in Louisiana...-waves goodbye- See you next chapter!


	2. The Visitors

Yugi barely heard Ryou's gasp of horror or the low growl that came from Joey. All he could hear was Marik's words repeating over and over inside of his head. Again? How did they find out? Who was after them this time? Questions seemed to add themselves to his thoughts, beating at the inside of his skull angrily.

"Who? Who knows about us and the items?" Yugi chocked out, unable to keep the fear from his voice. Marik glanced out of the window and shook his head, moving toward the hall that lead to the living room. He still hadn't let go of Yugi so the younger boy was pulled along with him.

"Lets get further into the house before I explain." Marik muttered, looking vaguely uncomfortable.

They all followed him in silence, something in his tone and stance told them that this was serious business. Yugi gained his footing once more and moved ahead of Marik to show them the way into the living room. He was glad that he'd talk his grandfather into taking that offer to go visit Doctor Hawkins for a couple of weeks. At least he wouldn't be dragged into all of this again.

When they reached the room Yugi immediately sank down onto the sofa and waited for Marik to explain what was going on. Marik, who could clearly see how this news upset the two other item holders in the room, sat down and began to talk quickly.

"Three days ago I was in the tombs looking over some hieroglyphics that Ishizu had found about the shadow games. I was getting ready to leave when I heard voices that I didn't recognize, which is strange in it's self because the only ones that are allowed to be there are my family. I decided to investigate and found three people dressed in black robes looking over the hieroglyphics about the Millennium items and the shadow games. I almost mistook them for my Rare Hunters until I heard them start talking again. They were speaking English so I didn't understand most of what they said but I did catch a few phrases that made me realize we had a problem on our hands." Marik said, his tone and expression grave. Ryou was the first one to speak up, a frown tugging at his lips.

"What did they say?" he questioned the blond.

"The only phrases I understood were 'The Dark Lord will be please' and 'Power for his own'." Marik said, rubbing his hand over his face. "And of course 'Shadows' and 'Millennium items'." he added, his tone almost sarcastic.

Beside Yugi Ryou swallowed thickly and the spiky haired teen felt bad for him. He barely remembered any of the time that he held the ring, thanks to the spirit that resided within it. Yet, at the same time, he knew the horrors of the Shadow Realm better than any of them.

"I understand why you called me Marik but why Ryou?" Yugi asked, wanting to clarify things. Ryou didn't have the ring anymore, Yugi did. In fact it was in a bag upstairs with the Rod and the Necklace. They still had no idea where the Eye went and Yugi knew that Shadi had the Key and was keeping an eye on the other item. An involuntary shiver went down his spin at the thought of the Key, to him it was worse than the Rod in all aspects.

"Because you're going to have to give us our items back." Marik said in a weary yet reluctant voice. He didn't want the damned Rod back but he couldn't let his friend get hurt protecting it. Plus if he had his and Ryou took the ring back then there would be two extra people to help protect the item.

"What! If I take the Ring back then _he'll_ come back." Ryou practically whimpered, looking slightly terrified.

Marik could understand is fear, once having his own Yami take control and go on a rampage, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit of annoyance. If the spirit of the ring got control of someone with more power and evil intentions then they'd all be screwed, a fact he didn't waste any time telling the white haired teen. Ryou looked even more troubled by this and bit his lip and fidgeted a bit, obviously trying to find an argument. Yugi sighed, he didn't want to admit it but Marik had a point. Plus they could deal with Bakura if he returned to cause trouble.

"**He might even work with us if he knew that someone else was trying to get the items...someone who wouldn't cave into his will like Ryou did." **Yami stated calmly, his spirit form once more materializing next to the younger boy.

"_Working with Bakura? If it was any other situation I'd most likely tell you that you were finally losing your mind but I think you might be right about this..." _Yugi responded with an internal sigh. He didn't like the thought of working with the spirit of the ring after everything that had happened but if Yami thought it was a good idea it might work.

"Besides Ryou, if he tries to cause trouble we can handle him. We did before." Yugi said, giving an encouraging smile. After a moment Ryou sighed and nodded his head in a resigned manner.

"Okay, I'll take it back for now. Only until this mess is over with, you can have it back after that." Ryou said, the last part said quickly as if he wanted it to be clear that Yugi was to get the item back. Yugi smiled and rose to his feet, moving toward the stairs to get said items.

"I'll be back in a second guys."

"How we know that they know you guys have the items." Joey asked, leaning forward and speaking for the first time since Marik had arrived.

Marik sighed and pulled out a picture from his pocket. Kaiba, Yugi, Joey, and Marik stood below the tittle that read "Battle City finalists: Seto Kaiba, Yugi Mouto, Joey Wheeler, and Marik Ishtar.". Yugi and Marik's Millennium items were in full view and glinting slightly in the light. They all looked like they wanted to get away from the camera quickly, which was exactly the case seeing as Kaiba had just announced that the island was going to blow up in exactly an hour. One of Kaiba's lackeys had insisted that they needed to take a picture to document the end of the tournament. He then sold it to a bunch of papers and magazines.

"As you can see Yugi and I are in full view with the items. It will only be a matter of time before they link the Shadow Games to Duel Monsters. When they do that they'll look at all of strange things going on in Domino then they'll see this, which was distributed in every convenience store and game shop all over Japan." Marik said, his eyes lingering on the picture.

They sat in silence until Yugi returned with the items. Both Marik and Ryou reached out reluctantly for them, both of the items holding bad memories for both of the boys. As soon as Yugi's hand was pulled back from the items golden light poured from the eye like symbols on both items. Both Ryou and Marik felt a jolt of energy go up their arms as they grasped the ancient items.

Marik stared down at the rod with a blank expression while Ryou slid the ring around his neck and felt the familiar weight around his neck. He winced for a moment, waiting for the familiar feeling of the malevolent spirit within his mind but it never came. He released his breath in almost a hiss of relief.

"He's not there?" Yugi asked, his eyes shinning with worry for the white haired boy.

"Nope, not a trace. He must still be locked in the Shadow Realm!" Ryou said happily, shaking his head enthusiastically.

Yugi and Marik smiled in relief, at least they didn't have to add watching to make sure Bakura didn't cause trouble to the list of things they had to do. Joey clapped the boy on the back with a smile. He only experienced being taken control of once but he knew how the white haired boy felt.

All four of them stiffened when the sound of someone knocking on the locked front door. Yugi didn't fight when Yami decided to take over, the transition so smooth that if you weren't watching closely you didn't notice that it had even happened. He and Marik made eye contact and Yami nodded slightly, pushing himself into a standing position. His hand went automatically to his deck as he walked toward the door, which Marik had locked before they had gone into the living room. He could see several figures standing outside the door and he paused to wait for Marik, Joey, and Ryou to get to the room as well. When they were all in the room Marik pulled the sheath off of the knife hidden in the bottom of the rod and Joey was flexing his fists. Yami took deep breath and opened the door, ready to jump out of the way for Marik to stab whomever was at the door if they were indeed a threat.

What he saw though surprised him even more than if he had opened the door to Seto Kaiba standing outside wearing a hot pink tutu with pink highlights in his hair. Standing on the doorstep was an old man in long flowing robes of emerald, his long white beard tucked into his belt and half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose, that looked as if it had been broken at one point. His blue eyes twinkled in amusement at the look of surprise on Yami's face.

Yami's stance loosened slightly. He couldn't exactly explain why but for some reason he knew that he didn't need to fear this man. It had to be something about the calming buzz of power that seemed to come from the elderly man. Behind the man stood three figures, each of them wearing long cloaks and looking vaguely surprised to see the door flung open in such a manner.

"Hello, I presume that you are Yugi Mouto? I have some matters to discuss with you and a few friends of yours that I see are already here." the elderly man said calmly, his eyes drifting past Yami to Marik, Bakura, and Joey.

"Who are you? Tell us and if we believe you we might spare you a trip to the Shadow Realm" Yami heard Marik growl from behind him and he had to suppress a shudder, he sounded a bit too much like when he was before Battle City. Yami was surprised once more by the man standing in front of him. He barely even blinked at the threat, though the people behind him stiffened and reached into their robes for what Yami could only guess were weapons. The elderly man however raised a hand to stop them before turning his attention back to Marik and the others.

"Mr. Ishtar, believe it or not growling out threats at people do not make them more willing to comply to your demands. Quite the opposite in fact, they may make things worse for you. You would do well to remember this in the future." The man responded calmly and sounding almost, if Yami dared to guess, amused by the younger male. "As for your question, I might be more inclined to answer if I and my friends were invited inside. It is unwise to linger upon doorsteps in these troubled times." the man added wisely.

Marik was too stunned by the fact that the older man knew his name to do anything more than sputter incoherently so Yami took the incentive, he stepped aside to let the man and his companions enter the residence. He carefully looked over the three other people that accompanied the old man. A man with tattered robes, who looked like he could only be in his early thirties or late twenties, moved first to follow. After him was a woman with bright pink hair, much to Yami's surprise she winked at him as she passed. The last of the three through the door was an older man with glasses and flaming red hair. Yami's eyes slid out to the road quickly before he closed the door. He didn't lock it, if they needed to make a quick escape it would only hinder them.

Looking rather uncomfortable Joey and Ryou lead the way back to the living room, not liking the fact that they had to turn their backs on the strange new people. When they got into the room the old man settled down on the sofa while the other three stood behind him, looking as uncomfortable as Joey, Marik, Yami, and Ryou felt. In fact, the only one that seemed right at home and relaxed was the old man.

"Now, as for your question. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-" he began, only to be interrupted by Marik and Joey's snorts of laughter.

"Witchcraft?" Joey said, unable to hold back his chuckle.

"Wizardry?" Marik chocked out, more amused than Yami had seen him[unless right before his Yami took over counted]

"Yes, Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you find that unbelievable then I wonder what you find the Shadow Games." Dumbledore said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Joey and Marik immediately stopped laughing, both of them glancing over at Yami uncomfortably. "As I was saying, I come here to offer you protection against the Dark Lord and his minions." Dumbledore continued, acting as if he had not seen the look the two blonds had given the smaller teen.

"Why should we take your protection Dumbledore-san?" Yami asked, sitting down on an ottoman that rested across from sofa. "All we know is that this 'Dark Lord' wants our Millennium items. How do we know that you are not working for said 'Dark Lord'?" He continued, his eyes never leaving the old man.

The woman standing behind Dumbledore hissed as if Yami had just insulted her. She began to reach into her robes once more for something that Yami couldn't see but once more was stopped by Dumbledore.

"It's okay Tonks, they have a right to be suspicious. After all, we did just meet." He said gently. "I assure you, we don't work for Voldemort. We are members of the Order of the Phoenix, a group that is working against Voldemort. I have already spoken to Seto Kaiba, who none too politely declined our offer. We set up basic defenses around his home and office, not to his knowledge of course, but he is in very little danger. It is you two, or should I say three now that I look closely at your white haired friend, that are in the most danger. Voldemort will do anything to get his hands on the power of your items, he may even target your family and friends." Dumbledore said calmly, waiting for a moment before continuing so the information could settle into their minds. "I have already sent someone to explain the situation to your grandfather and offer him protection as well. We are also prepared to offer shelter to Mr. Wheeler as well, seeing as he is known to be one of your closest friends and also had the misfortune to be in the picture with you that Voldemort has in his possession." Dumbledore continued, first addressing Yugi before turning to Marik. "I also offered your sister and brother the same protection but they declined. They would not say exactly why but I'm sure you'll know why."

Marik and Yugi nodded, while Joey frowned. Joey opened his mouth to ask something but Dumbledore silenced him by raising his hand.

"I will answer your question in a moment Mr. Wheeler, please don't think I am rude but I must get through this quickly. We don't know how much time it will take for Voldemort to track you down." he said with a kind smile before launching back into speech. "My offer is for the three of you: Mr. Ishtar, Mr. Mouto, and Mr. Bakura to come to my school where you will be under the supervision of myself and the staff and within the magical barriers of the castle. You will be able to learn how to defend yourself from Voldemort and also explore the magic of your items in a safe environment." Dumbledore said, pausing to let them think for a moment. "Do you accept my proposal?"

"Before we say give you an answer please answer this one question: Where will Joey and my grandfather be?" Yami asked, the question on both his and Yugi's minds. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Joey stiffen and then give him a small smile. Apparently that had been Joey's question as well.

"They will be at the headquarters of the Order, the second most protected place we can send them other than Hogwarts." Dumbledore said simply.

"I accept" Marik said after a moment glancing over at Yami and Ryou.

"I accept as well. I'd gladly take any chance at learning how to control the Rings power." Ryou said, sounding more confident than Yami had ever heard the boy.

"Then I guess I shall accept as well, as long as my family and friends are protected as well." Yami finally said after a few moments.

* * *

SE: Gods this took a long time to write, even without my grandmother breathing down my neck about the fact that it's almost two o'clock in the morning and I need to go to bed. Anyway, I thought I should mention the fact that I'm basing most of this off of the Yu-gi-oh English Anime(because I haven't seen the Japanese and barely read the manga) so please don't kill me.

Bakura: -squirts with water bottle- I'm not in this chapter!

SE: -growl- Keep it up and you won't be in the fic at all!

Bakura: You wouldn't do that, you like me too much!

SE: .....Touche. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who read and the one person who reviewed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Bakura: And please review so Sailor Emerald can stop having miniture panic attacks because she thinks that almost no one likes the fic.

SE: I do not! Well not much anyway....well see everyone next chapter!


	3. Grimwald Place

Dumbledore smiled slightly as he waited patiently for Ryou and Yugi to return. Yugi had accompanied the white haired teen to his home to collect some extra cloths and such. Marik's sister had sent some cloths for her brother with Dumbledore, whom informed the teen that his cloths and possessions were at the Headquarters waiting for him. At the moment he was sitting on the ottoman that Yugi had vacated looking through some cards.

Dumbledore's blue eyes lingered on the blond whom was leaning over Marik, trying to see the cards. He hadn't made any move to go get anything from his home, even after he'd said he'd go into hiding for the time being. He didn't look all that worried either.

"Um..Joey, don't you want to run home and get some cloths. You're going to be gone a while." Arthur Weasley asked, the fatherly side of him showing as he watched the boy.

"Nah, I got some cloths up in Yug's room and I've got my deck in my pocket." Joey said with a grin. Even Dumbledore frowned at the boys answer.

"Don't you want to tell your parents that you're leaving?" Lupin asked, sharing a look with Arthur.

"My pops isn't going to notice and my mom and sister live across the country. They'll be safer not knowing what's going on." Joey said with a dismissive wave, his eyes going down to Marik's deck once more. The other blond gave him a mischievous grin and nodded to the cards in his hand.

"Do you want a quick duel while we wait for Yugi and Ryou to get back?" He asked, the grin growing wider. Joey took a step back and shook his head quickly.

"Sorry Man, I saw enough of your deck during Battle City to know I don't want to go there. Besides, you already beat me black and blue in the finals." Joey said, looking slightly nervous. Marik, the other four noticed, looked slightly ashamed of something before grinning again.

"What is this 'Battle City'? It keeps getting mentioned when ever your names come up anywhere." Tonks asked, who was sitting on the back of the sofa with her feet next to where Dumbledore was sitting.

"It was the last Duel Monsters Tournament we were in. It was set up by Kaiba to get his tittle back from Yugi" Joey said, looking slightly smug.

"That seemed to back fire on him, seeing as Yugi wiped the floor with him again." Marik said with a chuckle, his eyes going back to his deck.

"Yeah, we noticed that he's not the most pleasant person." Tonks said bitterly.

"What did Money-bags do?" Joey asked, looking slightly worried.

"He told us that he didn't believe in our 'Hocus pocus mind game' and that if Yugi wanted a laugh that he could do it like a normal teenager. He then told us to get the hell out of his office or he was going to have us thrown from the top window by security." Lupin said, looking slightly offended.

"That sounds like Kaiba." Marik said with a roll of his eyes. Joey snorted in agreement and sighed.

"He has to be the most skeptical person I've ever met. I mean how many times does he have to see someone get their soul take or have his own soul taken before he realizes that it's not some mind game." Joey muttered.

Dumbledore and the others didn't get a chance to question the teen because Yugi and Ryou returned, looking as if they'd run the whole way from Ryou's house.

"What's wrong Yugi, you look like you've seen a ghost." Marik asked, taking in the fact that the King of Games was indeed pale.

"There were...people in black cloaks all over town. I don't know if they saw us!" Yugi gasped in between panting breaths.

"Are you sure!" Dumbledore asked seriously, rising from the sofa.

"I'm pretty sure, we got a bad feeling when we spotted the first few so we didn't stick around for too long." Yugi panted, giving Marik a significant look to tell him the 'we' did not pertain to Ryou. Dumbledore ignored the look for now, more worried about the fact that the Death Eaters were closing in.

"Go upstairs and pack a bag, quickly!" He said urgently. Yugi nodded and he and Joey bounded up the stairs. They didn't speak until they were actually in the room, throwing both Yugi and Joey's cloths into the gym bag with the Millennium necklace.

"What does Yami make of all of this?" Joey asked as he dug through Yugi's desk to find the extra deck he kept there.

"He's worried but other than that I don't know. We haven't had a chance to talk properly yet." Yugi said, digging through the closet for a pair of sneakers of Joeys that he knew were somewhere in the mess.

It only took a few minutes for them to get everything packed and they quickly descended the stairs, each carrying a bag. Down stairs Marik was pacing and Lupin and Arthur looked like they wanted to be doing the same. Tonks was fidgeting slightly and Dumbledore looked more worried than he had before.

"Everything ready?" He asked, rising to his feet once more. Yugi shook his head and quickly ran to the front of the shop to lock the door from the inside and switch off the lights. He grabbed the keys off of the hook where they hung and ran back into the living room.

"Now I am." He said quickly.

"We're going to have to do side along apparition, each of you grab onto one our arms and hold on tight." Dumbledore explained, holding out his arm for Yugi. Yugi took his arm and glanced around. Ryou moved over to Lupin, Marik with Tonks, and Joey with Arthur. Dumbledore smiled down at Yugi and winked slightly.

"Hold on tight" He chuckled before turning on the spot and pulling Yugi along with him.

* * *

Yugi gasped as his feet touched the ground once more and he staggered away from Dumbledore. He didn't know what had just happened but he never wanted to do it again. He'd gladly be sent to the Shadow Realm than have the feeling of being being passed through a rubber tube. He was aware of Joey, Marik, and Ryou doing the same somewhere near him.

"Just what hell was that?" Marik growled, obviously not very amused by their trip.

"Mr. Ishtar, what did I tell you about growling?" Dumbledore said sternly, though his blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Where are we anyway?" Yugi asked, glancing around the dingy square.

"Number Twelve Grimwald Place." Dumbledore said with a slight smile.

Before he even finished speaking there was a rumbling sound. The four duelists turned their attention toward the houses, where the noise seemed to be coming from, just in time to see another house begin to appear. It was as if someone was inflating a house in between eleven and thirteen and the others were moving out of it's way.

"Cool" Joey whispered in awe while Ryou and Yugi nodded quickly. The four adults ushered them forward quickly. Dumbledore tapped the door once with his wand and the door swung open. They all filed in and Lupin closed the door behind them.

"Stay here, my wife will come to show you where you'll be sleeping in a moment." Arthur whispered with a kind smile, moving toward a door just off of the hall.

"Hmm, reminds me of home." Marik whispered, glancing around the darkly lit hall.

"I wonder where exactly we are." Yugi whispered, shivering slightly. Ryou nodded, seconding the thought.

They didn't get the chance to say anything more before a woman with a kind smile walked down the hall toward them. She began to speak in some language that Yugi didn't understand. He had a vague suspicion that it was English. They blinked at her for a moment before turning to Ryou, their brows raised in question.

"She said that her name was Molly Weasley." He supplied reluctantly.

"Well tell her that we don't speak English." Marik said, his voice creeping closer to a growl once more.

Ryou turned to the woman and began to speak rapid English, looking slightly uncomfortable. The woman smacked herself on the forehead and fished a hand into her pocket to pull out a stick. Before Ryou could ask what she was doing she pointed it to toward Marik and muttered something. A jet of light hit him square in the chest and he began to swear, almost falling over.

"Oi, what was that for old hag!" He growled, his hand creeping toward the Rod.

"Hag? Dumbledore was right, you're not very polite." Molly said with a slight chuckle. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to make sure your friends can understand as well." She said kindly, before turning her wand on the other two boys and repeating the process.

"What did you do?" Yugi asked uncertainly, looking slightly confused. He didn't feel any different.

"Just a simple translating spell dear, now follow me and I'll show you to where my children are upstairs so you can meet them while you wait." Molly said with a smile, shooing the teens up the stairs. As they passed the curtains that covered Mrs. Black both Ryou and Yugi cringed away from it. They didn't know why but they didn't like the vibe it gave off. "The second door to the right. Dinner will be in a bit, after the meeting is over." she said, giving them one last smile before heading back down the stairs.

"This place is creepier than Ryou's deck." Joey muttered, moving toward the door first. Ryou frowned at him but followed.

"Well let's just hope that it doesn't get any worse." Marik muttered, glancing over at the stuffed heads next to the stairs.

* * *

SE:I'm soooo sorry for taking this long to update. I would have finished sooner but I got.....side tracked.

Bakura: You spent five hours watching ShadyVox and XDarkone on BlogTV and you call that side tracked?

SE:Yes. They're amazing!

Bakura: You're a hopeless fangirl aren't you?

SE: Yes!

Bakura:......if I didn't need you to put me in the story you'd have a one way ticket to the Shadow Realm....

SE: -muttering- I wonder if I could write and GX fic that would be good enough to send to them....

Bakura: -smacks with news paper- Finish this fic first! Just hurry up and close the chapter.

SE: Okay okay. Anyway, I'll have more time this weekend to write seeing as my Grandmother will be out of town and I won't have her breathing down my neck about going to bed 'at a decent time'. Who'd think that at 17 I'd still have a bed time -__- And thank you to the two people who reviewed. You make me feel special [ :

Bakura: You should Review also, if you don't want me to send Sailor Emerald to the shadows.

SE: You wouldn't do that to me would you?

Bakura: What do you think?

SE:-gulp- See you guys next chapter.....hopefully....


	4. Questions

"You go in first."

"No you!"

They all stared at the door, arguing in whispers about who was going to enter the room first. Joey pushed Ryou forward and there was a miniature scuffle. In the end Ryou ended up closer to the door while the other three gave him a push. He gave them such a dirty look that if Yugi didn't know any better he'd say that Bakura had returned. Ryou reached out a shaking hand to grasp the door, turning it gently and pushing it open. He poked his head into the room, his stance saying that he was ready to flee on a moments notice. However, the people in the room didn't seem to notice the fact that the door had opened. They continued to argue, and from what Ryou could hear it was about them.

"If they are so powerful that Voldemort wants them then I doubt that they're younger than thirty." A girl said in a know it all manner, her bushy hair falling over her shoulder as she shook her head.

"But Hermione we heard Dad saying that they'd be staying with us until term started. That must mean that they're school aged!" One of the red haired boys said, and what could only be his twin sitting next to him nodded smugly.

"If only we could get the ears under the door, we'd know exactly why the order has to protect them!" Another one of the red haired boys complained, though he looked younger than the twins.

"I wonder if they're the weapon that Sirius accidentally let slip?" A boy with black hair and glasses asked, frowning slightly.

"I don't think so, the order's too worked up for them to be the weapon. It's like they just found out about them or something." The other girl spoke up, pushing a strand of red hair out of her face.

To say that Ryou was curious to listen to the rest of the conversation would be an understatement but he never got the chance because the others were getting curious as to why Ryou hadn't entered the room yet. Someone, he was more interested in what was being said to notice who, bumped into him trying to see what was going on in the room and sent him sprawling forward. The door opened just enough for him to land flat on his face in front of the teens talking.

"Ryou are you okay?" Yugi cried, moving to help his friend up.

"I'm fine," Ryou muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"Um, who are you and why were you standing outside our door?" Hermione asked, rising into a standing position along with the rest of them.

"Mrs. Weasley told us to come up here until dinner was ready." Yugi said, reaching down and offering Ryou a hand to help him up. Ryou took the hand with as sigh, brushing his pants off once he was standing again.

"You didn't answer Hermione's first question." The younger red haired boy asked, looking them over suspiciously. Out of the corner of his eye Yugi could see Marik glaring at the kid and sighed.

"I'm Yugi Mouto and these are my friends." Yugi said, motioning to each of the teens behind him.

"Joey Wheeler," Joey waved slightly, looking just as comfortable as he would if he were in Yugi's house.

"Ryou Bakura," Ryou nodded slightly, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"And Marik Ishtar." Marik just crossed his arms over his chest and have a small nod. Yugi couldn't help but feel like he was going to cause trouble in the future.

"Oh, are you guys with the people that Dad and Dumbledore went to get?" One of the twins asked, relaxing slightly. "We heard that a couple of their family and friends would have to go into hiding." The other twin added, matching the firsts stance.

The four of them exchanged glances and sighed. Nobody ever seemed to think that they could be as powerful as they were, unless someone already knew about the items or had gone up against them at one point in time.

"Um...no. We _are_ them." Yugi said, scratching the back of his head.

"Well except me, I'm the one going into hiding." Joey said with a chuckle, moving to sit down on one of the beds.

The teens stared the four of them for a moment, not quite believing them. Yugi sighed and moved to sit down next to Joey. He felt tired and jittery at the same time, but he was used to the feeling. He'd had it twice before. He knew it was the worry of what was going to happen next, what they were going to have to face.

"Look you don't have to believe us, I don't care either way. But the fact of the matter is that we're going to be around each other till term starts so we please just try to get along." Yugi said, running his hand through his multicolor hair.

"Well said mate, I'm Fred and this is my brother George" One of the twins said with a large grin.

"What are you talking about! I'm Fred and you're George" The other said, looking annoyed.

"I think I know my own name brother." the other said with a grin.

"Oh, that's right. I am George. My Bad" George said with a grin, shrugging while Fred had to place a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ignore those two, they like messing with peoples heads. I'm Ginny by the way." The other girl said with a roll of her eyes.

"I think mum dropped both of them at one point when they were babies." The other red haired male said, eying the twins for a moment. "I'm Ron," He added after a moment, giving a tentative smile.

Joey's eyes shifted over the twins, Ron, and Ginny for a moment with a frown.

"Are you four related?" He asked after a moment, not noticing the sweat drops that formed on Marik, Ryou's and Yugi's heads.

"Yep, Fred and George are older than Ron and I, and I'm a year younger than Ron." Ginny said with a smile, moving to sit on the other side of Joey. Yugi glanced over at the other two teens, one of which still hadn't stated his name. Hermione seemed to be thinking carefully while the other was just staring at Yugi strangely.

"Is your hai—." He began, only to have Yugi, Marik, and Ryou answer

"Yes, it's natural." The chimed, having had to deal with the same thing back home. Even by Japanese standards Yugi's hair was odd.

"Oh....okay. I'm Harry by the way." Harry said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"It's cool, and it's nice to meet all of you." Yugi said with a smile, glancing around the room.

"Soooo....when exactly does term start for you guys? In Japan schools already started." Ryou asked, moving to sit on the other bed.

None of them could answer because the door opened and Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the room.

"The meeting is over dears, come down for dinner." She said, disappearing a moment later.

"FOOOOD" Joey moaned, almost jumping two feet in the air in his haste to get out of the room and toward the delicious smell that was wafting up the stairs. The only one to move nearly as fast as Joey was Ron, who was hot on the blonds heals.

"Um....does he always act like that?" Harry asked, glancing nervously over at Yugi.

"I'd like to say no but I would be lying" Yugi said, shaking his head sadly. Beside him Marik chuckled and began to walk toward the door.

"Lets go before those two eat all of the food."

The trip down the stairs was no more pleasant than the trip up the stairs. Yugi tried very hard not to look at the heads on the wall as he passed them. He wondered how long they'd have to stay here. He hoped it wouldn't be too long. The people seemed nice enough but the house it's self was really really creepy.

He was grateful to reach the kitchen. It was slightly move inviting than the rest of the house that Yugi had seen. When they arrived Joey and Ron were already sitting at the table staring expectantly down at the plates in front of them. Mr. Weasley was deep in a conversation with another red haired male and didn't seem to notice them for a few minutes.

"Is there anything I can help you with Mrs. Weasley?" Ryou asked, smiling at the red haired woman.

"No dear, but thank you for asking." She replied with a smile, carrying a large platter toward the table.

Yugi moved to sit down next to Joey, which put him right next to a black haired man that he hadn't noticed at first. Then again the other man didn't notice him for a moment as well.

"Oh, hello." He said with a slight smile, his eyes traveling down to the puzzle. "You must be Yugi" he added with a smile.

"Yeah, though I don't know if I should know your name or not." Yugi said, glancing up at the man. Sitting down he barely came up to the mans shoulder. He really hated being small sometimes.

"I'm Sirius Black" Sirius said with a smile, holding out a hand which Yugi shook while returning the smile.

Dinner was pretty pleasant, the four of them found it very easy to jump into some conversations while with others they had to ask several questions. Mrs. Weasley informed them that when the school lists came in they'd go get their supplies. This caused all three of them to panic for a moment because they didn't know how they were going to pay for school supplies until the woman assured them that there was fund at Hogwarts for students who couldn't afford the supplies.

"Oh boys, could you help us with some cleaning tomorrow?" Mrs. Weasley asked during desert.

"Sure, what kind of cleaning?" Ryou responded happily, looking a bit more comfortable than he did when they first got there. Joey and Marik just nodded to say they agreed, seeing as their mouths were stuffed with food. Yugi nodded as well and waited for an answer.

"We don't consider it cleaning, we consider it waging war against the house. Before now it sat empty since my mother died." Sirius answered, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

It took a while for Yugi and the other three to stop laughing but once they did Lupin decided to speak up about something all of them were wondering about.

"Now, I know you three must have questions. We didn't have time to fully explain the situation before." He said, leaning back in his chair wearily. "Dumbledore told us to answer any of your questions that we could." he added with a small smile. Yugi was the first to speak up.

"Who exactly is this Voldemort person anyway?"

He noticed that all around the table, except for Lupin and two others, they twitched or jumped. Some of them let out strange noises of fear.

"What'd I say?" Yugi asked, puzzled.

"Um...most don't say his name. We call him You-know-who or He-who-must-not-be-named." Sirius explained, rolling his eyes slightly. "Even if most of the wizarding world denies that he's returned they still fear him." he added.

"Which is part of the reason they deny that he's returned." Lupin added.

Yugi, Joey, Ryou, and Marik all spoke at the same time, in almost the same exact tone of disgust.

"That's stupid"

"If you're afraid to say the name then you're just adding to your own fear of the person!" Marik protested. Yugi and Ryou nodded.

"Besides, it's stupid. He can't be that bad!" Yugi said, frowning. He noticed that Yami was listening avidly now. He could feel the spirit prodding at the back of his mind, asking for permission to take over.

"_Sorry, I want to do this one on my own." _Yugi said mentally to the spirit before turning his attention back to Lupin as he began to speak.

"You have to understand, he was and still is one of the darkest wizards in history." he said, his tone gentle. "And yes, even the history of your own magic looks lighter than what he's done." He added, noticing their dubious expressions.

"But if he's that dark why does he need us?" Ryou asked, sounding a bit upset.

"Think about it, if he got a hold of that type of magic he could bring fear and destruction to the entire world. We would be defenseless because we haven't had to deal with magic like _that_ before." Lupin explained. "I doubt even you would know how to stop him if he got a hold of it. The only one who knew how to do that was the nameless Pharaoh." Lupin added, looking grave.

Yugi and Marik exchanged a knowing glance. They knew that said nameless Pharaoh was currently residing in the puzzle. Still, they didn't like the idea of this man unleashing the powers of the shadow games on the world again. The room descended into silence for a while. Everyone was thinking about what had just been said.

"Alright, everyone to bed. We have to get up early to start cleaning tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley said, breaking the silence at last. Everyone muttered their agreement and began to rise from their seats and head toward the beds that awaited them.

* * *

SE: -glaring at the chapter-

Bakura: What's wrong with you?

SE: Four times...four times I re-wrote this damn chapter and I still don't like it

Bakura:.....you have problems.

SE: Just figuring that you are you? -sarcasm-

Bakura: Anyway, we got enough reviews that I won't be sending Emerald to the shadow realm...yet.

SE: Oh Boo you, you'll be happy with the next chapter.....Preview time!

Preview:

Ryou backed up, fright clearly on his face. He didn't want to believe that this was real. This was his worst nightmare come true.

"You...you weren't supposed to come back" he whimpered.


	5. Return

Yugi and the others were enjoying the last few minutes of class, laughing and joking around as they waited for the bell to ring to let them out of school. Ryou sat on a desk to the right of Yugi, smiling happily and feeling more relaxed than he had in years. Bakura and the Millennium items were wiped from his mind as he reveled in the fact that he could actually act like a normal teen for once. All of them jumped slightly when the bell rang but laughed and began to file out of the room.

They were halfway down the hall when Ryou paused, glancing down one of the other halls with a puzzled expression. He could have sworn he'd heard someone call his name. He frowned and peered down the hall, trying to figure out if his imagination was playing tricks on him.

_"____Ryouuuu__"_

Yep, he'd definitely heard it that time, it wasn't his imagination. He was sure that the voice had some from down that way but he couldn't see anyone. He squinted, his frown deepening, and took a hesitant step forward. They say curiosity killed the cat but he couldn't help it. The voice was familiar to him but the only people who might want to call out to him were walking beside him.

"Hey Ryou, something wrong?" Yugi asked, pausing to stare back at the friend that had fallen behind. The others turned to see what was wrong but Ryou just waved a hand at them with a smile.

"I've got to go check on something, I'll catch up in a bit." Ryou said with a reassuring smile. The others looked dubious, exchanging glances.

"We can come with you if you want." Joey said, taking a few steps forward. Ryou couldn't place his finger on it but something told him that he had to go find out whoever was calling him by himself.

"No, really guys it's cool. I'll be at the game shop once I'm done!" Ryou said, waving his hands slightly erratically. Yugi and Joey exchanged glances and then nodded to Ryou.

"Okay, but if you don't show we're coming to get you." Joey joked, smiling slightly and waving.

"Bye Ryou!" Yugi called as they walked away. Ryou watched them walk away, feeling like he was missing something important. He pushed the thought away as he turned to move down the hall. His curiosity was getting the better of him and he knew it, but he ignored that fact for the moment.

He made his way down the hall and noticed that this hall seemed darker than the rest of them for some reason. As he drew deeper into the corridor his common sense began to kick back in slightly. Why was he walking down a deserted hall looking for someone that may or may not be a product of an over imaginative and jumpy mind. He rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. Maybe Bakura messed him up more than he thought. Yet even as he thought this he couldn't help but wonder if there actually had been someone down this hall.

"Hello, is there anyone here?" He called softly, noticing that his voice echoed slightly down the hall eerily.

_"In here Ryou!" _

Ryou jumped slightly as the eerily familiar voice sounded from inside a door to his right. He turned slowly and peered into the darkness of the room. Apparently no one had opened the blinds so there was very little light. He took a few steps forward, squinting to see into the murky darkness. He took a deep breath and took a few steps into the room, the gloom parting before him and swallowing his form. He could barley see his own hand in front of his face. He was halfway into the room before his eyes began to adjust and he found that there was no one there. A frown had begun to form at his lips. Something was wrong with this picture.

"It seems like little Ryou came to play."

Ryou spun around as the voice came from behind him, closer to the door. As he watched, Bakura stepped out of the shadows he'd been hiding in a smug smirk tugging at his lips. Ryou couldn't stop the whimper of horror that escaped his lips.

"Long time no see Landlord." Bakura drawled, lazily drifting closer.

You know how earlier he said that curiosity killed the cat? Scratch that: Stupidity killed the cat and Curiosity was framed. He should have realized sooner why the voice was so familiar. He'd been hearing that voice in his nightmares for a long time. He stumbled backwards, non coherent sounds spilling from his lips as he moved.

"You..your....I...." He whimpered, trying to force his brain to concentrate on finding a way to get out of this. "You're supposed to be locked in the Shadow Realm! You weren't supposed to come back!!!" Ryou said, his tone creeping holding more than a little bit of accusation to it.

Bakura chuckled darkly, moving closer as Ryou stumbled back farther. His mind raced as he tried to regain control of himself. This was one of his worst nightmares come to life.

"Now now Ryou, did you really think you'd be able to get rid of me that easily?" Bakura drawled, moving closer at a faster pace, which forced Ryou to continue pick up his pace in moving backwards.

Later on he'd realize that he should have realized what would happen if he kept trying to back up without looking. His back hit the solid wall and he whimpered, no where else to go as Bakura drew closer. As Bakura came within two feet of Ryou his fight or flight instincts kicked in and before he even knew what he was doing he'd struck out at the spirit.

He didn't know which surprised him more, the fact that he'd actually tried to strike the phantom that tortured him for so many years or the fact that in the next second he found himself pressed face first into the wall. He gasped for breath and out of sheer panic began to struggle wildly, cursing and growling. Bakura's hands merely tightened on his arms, which were pulled behind his back and used as leverage to keep him pinned to the wall.

"Oh ho ho, look who grew a backbone while I've been away." Bakura said, leaning over to whisper into Ryou's ear. Ryou threw his head back, in an attempt to slam the back of his head into the Yami's face. Unfortunately, this only made the spirit chuckle darkly and ruffle the boys hair with a free hand.

"You may be more amusing then I thought."

The next second he found himself released and the Yami's presence gone from directly behind him. He turned around slowly and found Bakura standing a few feet away with a smirk. He didn't know why the Egyptian was toying with him but he didn't like it.

"Yeah well take you can just go back to the shadow realm, or I'll get Yugi to send you back forcefully." Ryou said, gathering all of his remaining courage. He'd managed to stand up to his Yami once, he'd have to do it again to save his friends from his wrath. "You're not welcome nor needed here." he added, with what he thought was a threatening glare. It turned out it just made him look even more like an angry kitten. It caused Bakura to laugh, though it was an amused laugh it was darker than normal.

"My dear Ryou, do you not understand? _You_ sought _me _out, not the other way around." Bakura said quietly, watching as horror spread over Ryou's face. "Obviously you _do_need me, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy to break back into your mind."

That last statement brought so much fear into Ryou's heart that he was jolted out of his dream. He sat straight up in the cot, his breathing coming out in pants as cold sweat ran down his face. His heart beat painfully against his chest as he tried not to cry. That nightmare had been the worst he'd had in a while and it sent a shiver of fear down his spin just recalling the smallest detail.

"Ryou? Are you okay?"

Ryou turned his head and met the amethyst eyes of Yugi, who was sitting on the cot across from his. Ryou could tell that he'd been having a conversation with the Pharaoh, it was the only explanation for him being up. He ran his hand through his hair and nodded his head.

"Just..Just a nightmare. I'm fine" He murmured, glancing over at the other sleeping teens.

"You don't look so good...do you want to talk about it?" Yugi asked, scooting down to the end of his cot and closer to Ryou.

Ryou sighed and thought for a moment. It would just bother him if he kept it to himself. He debated with himself for a moment and sighed.

"I...I followed a voice into this room and found Bakura..." Ryou said, trailing off for a moment, letting Yugi's imagination fill in the gap. A second later Yugi gasped and reached out to lay a hand on Ryou's leg.

"You don't think that it means that...." Yugi said, not able to finish the horrible thought out loud.

"Unfortunately, I do." Ryou said with a sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. He didn't know how long he'd be able to stand between his friends and Bakura this time. He just hoped that he'd be able to allow them time to figure out a way to send the spirit back to the shadows.

"Sometimes I wish he'd act just a little bit more like your Yami." Ryou muttered bitterly and to his surprise Yugi chuckled. His eyes shot up to Yugi with a frown, wondering what he'd said that was so funny to the teen.

"He started out pretty much like Bakura, you know." Yugi said softly, chuckling once more at the disbelieving look on Ryou's face. "I'm serious. He was more shadow happy than Bakura on a good day back when I first finished the puzzle. There were weeks that I'd only remember one or two days and a few scattered hours and then nothing. When Kaiba threatened to let himself get pushed off of the castle I was more scared of Yami then I'd ever been, because I knew that he'd just let Kaiba fall. He'd done it before." Yugi said, his lips pulling up in a small smile.

"Wha...then how did he become.....how did he get the way he is now?" Ryou stammered, forgetting his dream for a moment. He, vaguely, could feel Bakura lingering weakly in the back of his mind but he disregarded him, he wasn't a threat at the moment.

"I got to know him, and he got to know me. I guess I was a positive influence on him." Yugi said with a bright smile. He seemed to pause to think about something before speaking again. "Maybe you could do the same with Bakura? He can't be _all_ evil can he? I mean there has to be something good about him? Maybe if you get to know him you won't be so scared and he won't be as mean?!" Yugi said in a rush, looking excited.

Ryou stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, which he was suspecting had happened. Get to know Bakura? He'd rather go jump in a pit of poisonous snakes than try and get to know the spirits motives and past. The idea of Bakura even letting him try was laughable, even if a part of him wished it was that easy.

"Yugi, did you hit your head on something? I don't think that will work, Bakura is the way he is and there is no alternative personality hiding under the surface." Ryou said with a sad smile.

"I suppose you're right....well we need to get to sleep. We promised to help Mrs. Weasley clean tomorrow." Yugi said, looking a little disappointed. Ryou nodded and lay back down, a little reluctant to close his eyes. He exhaled heavily and let them slip closed, praying to what ever gods that were listening that Bakura was just a very bad dream and that he really hadn't come back from the shadows.

"_**Not a chance brat, we're going to have a nice chat with the Pharaoh when you wake up." **_

"_Oh go to hell."_

"_**Been there, done that. Don't fight me on this kid, It might be worth your wile to let me have my way this time."**_

"_I highly doubt that"_

_

* * *

_SE: I am soooooo sorry that it took me so long to update. I hit a block with that dreaded thing called writers block. It hit hard and fast and I couldn't break past it till tonight.

Bakura: I'm tempted to kill you but I am appeased, I'm back in the story.

SE: Now I know to lock my door at night, thanks. Anyway, I have almost ten chapters planned out ahead of time so the writing should go fairly quickly. I'm sorry if the beginning threw anyone off or confused anyone, I apologize. As for the conversation between Yugi and Ryou, I felt that I wasn't putting enough of them into the chapters and decided they had to have a conversation.

Bakura: You know the drill: Review and Emerald doesn't get sent to the shadows and you get a new chapter.

SE: -mouthing- Help me!!!


End file.
